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Canada, AB • Canada •
You know in the dark cold mornings when you get out of bed to slap the alarm and have to turn on the first painful stinging light? That realization that the snooze button can’t actually delay the reality of having to get up and face the day. It hurts at first but as you grow accustomed to it you can start to look forward instead of looking back. We are at that point in the Flames Season now.

This win one lose one thing has been nothing but hitting the snooze button, asleep one game only to wake up briefly and fall asleep again. A 500 record going into the final half of the season will be okay as long as they produce a much more efficient second half.

Losing to Columbus in the final alarm going off. They are simply not a good team even with the high end talent up front.

So the light comes on, painful and glaring yet if we force ourselves to open our eyes we will start to see more clearly and accept it for what it is. Some of these glaring truths about our Flames:

The best back up for this team is actually playing in the AHL. Hell he might be the best starter. We drafted a kid in the first round in hopes of seeing him progress into an nhl starter, if this was the year to play Kipper less then Irving could logically be allowed to get some NHL time. Instead of seeing a prospect flourish (or not) we see Karlsson trying to get his first win of the season and failing against one of the worst teams in the NHL. He got no scoring help, I know, sometimes to be an NHL goalie you have to win, Thomas got a 1-0 shutout last night. Meanwhile Irving just came off a win where he didn’t let anything in including shootout goals to get his team a 1-0 victory and oh yeah is the winningest goalie in the AHL for two years.

Kipper is Kipper and that means he can be spectacular and also very ordinary. This team needs so badly to change it’s pattern. Does that mean Trade Kipper? He has value however the rub is that sadly the Flames may not be able to win much without him. He is getting older though so how long will he have value? Kipper is a very tricky guy to trade, but if he were to be the price would be very high, however there might be a winning goalie waiting in the wings. Irving needs some NHL time, Karlsson can not win, even when he plays great, time for a call up.

The second Glaring truth is that Iginla is having another slow start, we tend to waive it away and say, “he’ll get 30 goals so who cares?”. The standings care. The captain and highest paid guy can not get a free pass on two months of hockey every year, when you hear Sutter say words like “individuals”, “consistency”, “effort”…he’s not talking about Rene Bourque anymore. Iginla will not be traded, I’m not even entertaining that idea, however the glaring truth we have a hard time opening our eyes to is that there is not heir apparent to him. When Iginla slows the whole team is in mud because there is no one left to pick it up. There are prospects but if Beartschi is going to be the guy that is a lot to put on a kid.

Third. The Defence is simply not as good. Even if Regehr was here it would be only marginally better as the old crowd get slower. The bright lights seem to be Smith, Brodie and Giordano. Bouwmeester is just a solid D, he’s no superstar. In the past we could always look at the Defence and feel safe, that feeling has passed.

This one is hard for me too but Backlund is not going to be our number one center. 5 games, minus 6 and no points. That dream is dead. He is good in the face off circle, pretty good back checker and has a shot but is better served in the 2nd or 3rd line role.

This one will really burn your eyes….The Dion Phanuef Trade has officially busted. Dion, like it or not, is playing awesome this year. We can’t pay people to take our assets in that trade now, or what’s left of them. Stajan wonders why he is a whipping boy, it is because he reminds everyone of that horrible trade by Sutter. Dion should have got us a first rounder and he needed to get out of Calgary to grow, the issue is what the organization received for him. It simply crippled the Flames. What Sutter saw in Stajan eludes most average hockey fans, he’s soft, has no shot and is only a decent passer and penalty killer. That’s the truth. There are three guys in the AHL who could do his job better for a quarter of the price in my opinion.

Sutter is a likeable coach but his message is lost on the team, while not the final bit of pain it is never the less the truth. I almost get sick hearing the same thing out of his mouth everytime he opens it, the team must hate it more. If Sutter wanted to shake this team awake he would demote three or four players and call up the kids who are doing well, wasn’t that what he promised at the beginning of the year? Only those who deserved it would make it?

Feaster and King. This is becoming comedic. Two guys who are self admittedly not hockey guys are running the team. Feaster trading for Leblond was complete nonsense. It was a dumb move and this is a team that can not afford dumb moves.

So the painful part is over. What can we look forward to? The UFA list on the Flames is very long, huge turn over next year is imminent. That is a good thing. The draft is deep and skilled, if the flames don’t fail trading into the top ten is very alluring. The flames next year will be very fast, much younger and more hungry although more mistake prone as well. The club is still very able to come back and make a run at it, it’s very early.

S>O>
Filed Under:   Flames   Iginla   Irving  
November 22, 2011 3:39 PM ET | Delete
drastic times call for drastic measures. it's time to move out the vet's Iggy included and start from scratch. It doesn't work! start over! at least us the fans can then justify the struggle on the ice. At present all it does is piss us off.
November 22, 2011 3:54 PM ET | Delete
Pretty good blog there Sane....Now would be a good time for you guys to trade away for some first round picks and what not. The good news is that it should be a pretty decent draft depth wise so maybe a few gems pop up for you guys. Here's hoping for some good BOA games this year.
November 22, 2011 4:31 PM ET | Delete
Why does everyone say Iggy wont be traded. He even said 2 years ago, if the club needs to improve by trading me, thats OK, but I would like to win a cup here. Why all the PR BS!! It's time, the fans are ready, we need to do something.
November 22, 2011 5:37 PM ET | Delete
marty- picks and prospects would deffinitly help the cause. Kevin- Not sure I disagree but Feaster just won't move him so I move on.
November 22, 2011 6:58 PM ET | Delete
Sane, its a goofy game of flinch. Iggy doesnt want anyone thinking he wants out
November 22, 2011 7:00 PM ET | Delete
November 23, 2011 4:54 PM ET | Delete
Time for management to wake up and realize this team isn't going to ever get it done. You can't get blood out of a stone. Short term pain = Long term gain.
November 24, 2011 3:41 PM ET | Delete
Good blog... Although I didn't hate the Dion trade at first... Stajan has really shown that the West is the tougher conference (he doesn't look like an NHLer here)... Its funny that you say Sutter should bring up some kids to send a message... Horak has stolen Stajan's spot, Byron Hagmans... Brodie-Sarich's spot... How has the message not been sent and received already...
November 24, 2011 3:43 PM ET | Delete
Kevin R... I think despite what Feaster says the team's play will force him to consider deals for Iginla at the trade deadline and in the summer... I saw a post you put up about Iggy to Was for Semin Col1st... then Semin to Det for their 1st... not a bad idea
November 24, 2011 10:44 PM ET | Delete
oh my effing god.... I just went on the Flames web site and they are using the ice-girls(now I love the ice girls but..) to sell tickets... the effing icegirls.... oh man... finally its come to this " come see to the saddledome to see the icegirls"....
November 25, 2011 2:11 AM ET | Delete
Hey BJ. Just ticks me off the "we wont trade Iggy" stand more than losing. If we can score a homerun deal, they gotta do it. Iggy doesnt want to look like the bad guy
November 25, 2011 2:12 AM ET | Delete
but I cant imagine him not waiving to go to a contender.
November 25, 2011 10:38 AM ET | Delete
b.j., that's a good point about the kids, demotions haven't happened yet and I am waiting for that.
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